Demetrious Johnson retained his UFC flyweight title with a hard-fought, five-round decision win over John Dodson in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC on FOX event in Chicago. “Mighty Mouse” needed all five rounds to edge out the Jackson-Winkeljohn product, earning scores of 48-47 from two judges, with the third seeing the fight 49-47 in favour of the champion.

Dodson troubled the 125-pound titleholder early, catching him coming in with a quick left hand in the first before dropping him twice in the second. In the opening rounds, the challenger was able to match the champion’s speed, and land the better, more powerful blows, leading to Dodson coming out with an early lead. A close third frame proved to be the swing round, as Johnson’s superior conditioning and well-rounded attack earned him the nod in the championship rounds rather handily. As Dodson faded, Johnson pressed harder, ending the contest with his most impressive round of the fight.

2. Muddy Waters Ahead

Having dispatched Dodson, it’s unclear what comes next for Johnson.

The flyweight division is still in its infancy, and very few fighters outside of the initial tournament participants have reached any kind of noticeable push from the UFC. While that makes sense, it also leads to situations like the one they face now.

Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall, the second and third best fighters in the weight class, are set to face off next weekend in Las Vegas, and though the winner would seem like a likely dance partner for Johnson, we’ve already seen those movies; twice in the case of McCall. Benavidez was beaten in a close championship fight that elicited boos from the audience in Toronto last September, and McCall has had a pair of chances to best Johnson, coming up short in both, with the second being the more definitive of the two. At this stage, it feels like it’s too early to reboot those pairings again.

But then who’s next for the flyweight champ? John Moraga has earned a pair of wins – both by stoppage – but they came on Facebook. John Lineker looked good against Yasuhiro Urushitani, but was beaten by Louis Gauidont in his UFC debut. Darren Uyenoyama might be an option, but few outside of the hardcore set are familiar with the talented grappler. You can see the conundrum. It will be interesting to see how the UFC decides to approach the issue.

3. Glover Teixeira is The Real Deal

People are going to want to diminish Teixeira’s win over Quinton Jackson by saying “Rampage” had one foot out the door or hasn’t been relevant for some time. Though this was Jackson’s last fight with the UFC and he has been sub-par over the last couple years, he was in great shape and a very game opponent in this one, and the surging Brazilian contender still won the fight handily.

Teixeira, who has now won 18 consecutive contests, beat Jackson at his own game, getting the better of the striking exchanges from start to finish. He hurt “Rampage” on a couple different occasions, and took him down with ease at various points in all three rounds, hunting for submissions in the first and third, and peppering his prone opponent with ground-and-pound every time. After standout performances against Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado, this was an ascension to the next level of competition for Teixeira, who should be viewed as a title contender going forward, even if he does still need another win or two to be fully in the mix.

4. End of the Road for Rampage in the UFC

Dana White said at the post-fight press conference that Jackson shouted, “You’re gonna miss me!” when he was leaving the venue after the fight. Chances are he’s right, but for all the high moments that will be missed, there are accompanying lows that will not.

Jackson remains a legitimate top 10 light heavyweight, and capable of competing with the very best in the UFC. Unfortunately, he’s not happy with the treatment he receives, the match-ups he’s offered, and sundry other things, so he’s taking his ball and going home. Or to Bellator. Or Japan. Or somewhere, just not here.

Personally, I think it’s the best decision for him because he doesn’t seem to have any interest in committing himself to fighting as is necessary to compete on the biggest stages in the sport these days. I honestly don’t know if Jackson would be interested in trying to make it through a Bellator tournament, because the idea of fighting three times in three months and staying in shape that whole time is probably unappealing to him. He’s a solid draw, a popular fighters, and still a potential threat, but he seems to believe that the blame for his struggles and dip in popularity over the last few years rests elsewhere.

That’s not the case, and as such, it’s probably better that he move on. Good luck, Quinton.

5. Anthony Pettis is So Much Fun to Watch

He’s always been exciting, but in the 2:35 it took Pettis to finish Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, “Showtime” climbed to the top of my “favourite fighters to watch” list.

The early capoeira kick was nice, the heavy left body kick that stung “Cowboy” early was technically beautiful, the “Showtime Knee” was creative and on-point, and the finishing body kick was thunderous and precise. All that in just over half of a round, from a guy who is almost always entertaining.

Pettis was clearly the more focused of the two, and put it on Cerrone in Chicago, putting him back in a familiar position. He’s clearly the next in line to fight for the lightweight title, but that opportunity is at least six months away. He said Saturday night that if he’s guaranteed the shot, he’s going to wait, but having just spent 11 months on the sidelines, it will be interesting to see if his decision changes as six months turn into eight, nine, or ten months of waiting.

6. Introducing Ricardo Lamas

If you didn’t know Lamas heading into this event, his brutal (in a good way) finish of Erik Koch in the main card opener certainly opened your eyes and put the Chicago native on your radar.

The 30-year-old WEC vet turned in the best performance of his career at the most opportune time, taking advantage of Koch’s aggressiveness early in the second to put him on the canvas. From there, Lamas eventually set into him with heavy ground-and-pound, opening a gnarly gash above his right eye shortly before the fight was stopped. Fighting on the main card of the FOX broadcast will have put Lamas in front of the most eyes possible, and his win solidifies him as an elite member of the featherweight division.

Depending on how things play out next weekend, don’t be surprised if Lamas faces the winner of the Jose Aldo/Frankie Edgar showdown at UFC 156. He’s won all four of his fights since dipping to 145-pounds, and has beaten top 10-ranked opponents in each of his last three outings. Now that he’s announced himself to the masses, there is no reason to hold him back from a title shot moving forward.

7. TJ Grant is This Week’s New Lightweight Contender

It seems like every month, someone in the UFC lightweight division has a standout performance that raises their profile, and puts them in the mix in the 155-pound ranks. Saturday night, that man was Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia’s TJ Grant.

The bearded Canadian lambasted Matt Wiman in the final bout of the preliminary card, showcasing a very strong Muay Thai game highlighted by great head control in the clinch and nasty standing elbows. Expected to be a close, back-and-forth affair similar to Grant’s last outing with Evan Dunham, this was a complete steamrolling courtesy of the East Coaster, and a performance that already has people talking about which top 10 opponent he should face next time out.

Grant has now won all four of his appearances at lightweight following a 3-3 run at welterweight to start his UFC career. Well-rounded and gritty, he’s the kind of hard-nosed competitor who is going to be a tough out for anyone moving forward, and looks to only be growing more confident with every outing. As for who he should fight next, you’re going to have to go track down my “What’s Next?” column on Sportsnet.ca to see who I think should stand opposite the Canadian in his next outing.

8. Clay Guida, Hatsu Hioki, and Judging

First things first: there is no way in hell to justify the 30-27 score one of the three judges turned in on Saturday night. None. Not one.

Secondly, no one should be yelling about this being a robbery. No one took anyone’s wallet; this was a close fight, and the split decision outcome (which fell in Guida’s favour) was clearly coming from the midway point of the second round.

Here’s the question though: at what point are judges going to stop viewing the man on top as the one who is winning the fight, even when they’re not doing much of anything?

While Guida successfully took Hioki to the ground and kept him there for long portions of the second and third round, “The Carpenter” didn’t have much offense to offer. If anything, he was remaining somewhat static and playing defense, fending off submission attempts and trying to negotiate the Japanese standout’s terrific hips and long limbs. Neither man did much damage, but it was Hioki – in my opinion – who was the more active aggressor throughout, and his work from guard had more impact on the fight than anything Guida mustered post-takedowns.

Additionally, more attention needs to be paid to the high points of each round. Judges need to understand the impact of blows in regards to how to score the fight. I’m guessing the judge who scored the main event 49-46 for Johnson gave him the first, which means despite being knocked down for a moment, they still thought he did enough to win the frame. Typing that sentence made my head hurt. Sadly, that’s the state of judging in MMA.

9. Don’t Count Out Ryan Bader

The former Ultimate Fighter winner turned in his most impressive performance to date on Saturday, submitting veteran Vladimir Matyushenko just 50 seconds into their contest.

After stinging “The Janitor” with a quick, sharp left hand, Bader latched onto a front headlock, modifying his grip and position so that he had Matyushenko in a head-and-arm choke position while he was bend over at the waist. Bader squeeze tightly and dropped to his back, looking for the finish. Though Matyushenko defended initially, Bader adjusted the position and collected the tap; his first submission win in the UFC.

In addition to the quick finish, Bader looked a little less beefy than normal, and I mean that in a completely positive way. He’s always carried a lot of muscle, and that in turn has impacted his conditioning. If he has actually made a conscious effort to change his body composition, he could see an uptick in cardio going forward. If I’m completely wrong and Bader was as hulking as ever, please disregard.

10. Shawn Jordan and the Importance of Conditioning

While the main event showed how crucial a good gas tank is for fights that hit the championship rounds, the heavyweight contest between Shawn Jordan and Mike Russow illustrated the importance of being able to make it through the first without hitting empty.

Russow came out of the gate like a man possessed, blitzing Jordan on the feet, peppering him with straight right hands, and having him wobbled throughout the opening five minutes. When the horn sounded to end the round, Russow assumed the hands-on-knees position and started sucking wind – hard – and you knew the momentum had shifted. The two heavyweights switched roles in the second, with Jordan battering the Chicago police officer, eventually getting the stoppage just before the four minute mark of the round.

As bad as a performance as this turned out to be for Russow, who has now lost two straight, and could find himself on the chopping block, this was a gusty effort from Jordan. Still developing as a fighter, he survived a dicey first round, and had plenty in reserve when the second began. With continued improvement, he has the athleticism and intangibles to be an entertaining member of the heavyweight ranks long-term.

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